One match already, Indian football team has qualified for Asia Cup 2023

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Published: Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 14:20 [IST]

New Delhi, June 14: India have already qualified for the 2023 Asian Cup final ahead of their final qualifying match in Group D of the third round stage on Tuesday. India are set to face Hong Kong in their final qualifier in Kolkata. This is the fifth time in the history of the competition that India has qualified for the final.

India were second in Group D, tied with table-toppers Hong Kong on 6 points. They have qualified for the finals despite being in second place.

Earlier on Tuesday, India’s qualification was sealed after Palestine defeated Philippines in Group B match.

India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in a thrilling encounter after beating Cambodia 2-0 in their first qualifying match in Kolkata last week. Captain Sunil Chhetri is in good form as he has scored 3 out of 4 goals scored by India so far. Chhetri broke the deadlock in the 84th minute with a brilliant free-kick against Afghanistan.

Sunil Chhetri had insisted that India must at least qualify for the Asian Cup final if it is to consistently compete with the best in Asia and continuously improve.

After playing a key role in India’s win over Afghanistan, Chhetri told Star Sports, “We have already talked about it, qualifying for the Asia Cup is the minimum target for us so that we can shoulder the best in Asia. Let’s walk side by side. I guess I am not trying to be too hard on myself but we need to play Asia Cup every season so that we can assess how much we are improving and how much we need to be in Asian teams. You also get a chance to play against the best.” ,

China was to host the AFC Asian Cup in 10 cities from June 16 to July 16 in 2023, but the country gave up hosting rights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AFC said it would announce new hosts in the coming months.

Story first published: Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 14:20 [IST]



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